Individual plant support



Jan. 1941- F. w. SCHOUMAN v INDIVIDUAL PLANT SUPPORT Filed Feb. 26, 1957Q3? INVENTOR.

fie? W Jcfiouman ZWZW' v ATTORNEYS M a arepf Patented Jan. 21, 1941Umrso STATES INDIVIDUAL PLANT SUPPORT Fred W. Schouman, Flint, Mich,assignor to. Copeman Laboratories Company, Flint, Mich, a corporation ofMichigan Application February 26, 1937, Serial No. 127,854 1 Claim. (01.47-47) This invention relates to a plant support and thrust in theground. A convenient method of has particularly to do with a supportingmeans forming the foot member consists of simply for individual longstemmed plants and flowers. doubling the wire back on itself and joiningthe The object of this invention is to provide a end portion to theshaft by welding or soldering.

5 plant support which is ornamental when in posi- This method lendsitself to the formation of a tion and which is sufficiently flexiblethat, when reenforced or rigid portion just above the foot firmly tiedto the plant being supported, it will member as at 8, where the wire canbe doubled bend naturally with the plant under the influand soldered orwelded together to form a relaence of wind and rain or the weight of theflower tively stiff portion above the foot member. When 1 or fruit ofthe plant. The support is designed to the support is in the ground, thetop of this rigid prevent breaking of the stem and to prevent theportion 8 should be at ground level so that all flower from coming incontact with the ground. the flexing of the support will take placeabove Another feature of the invention is that the the ground as is thecase with plants or flower portion which is adapted to be thrust in thestems.

ground is formed of more rigid material than the The shaft t of thesupport is preferably corru- 15 remainder of the support so that thebending of gated to facilitate tying the stem of a plant. It the supporttakes place above the ground level is necessary, that the plant orflower stems be just as in the plant itself. tied to the support atseveral places to prevent A further feature of the invention is itsadaptits buckling away from the support. The corruability to being tiedto the plant at. intervals gated shaft 6 allows the tying of the stem at20 along its length so that the plant will not buckle several placesalong the shaft and prevents the or be injured by contact with thesupport as is bunching or slipping of the ties. The shaft 6 the casewith present rigid supports. The plant may also be provided withpermanent tying or support is designed for very inexpensiveiabricaclamping means 9 as shown in Fig. 2. These tion and thus isespecially adapted for use by ties are spaced along the shaft and mayconsist 25 those engaged in commercially producing longof short softwire or metal members soldered or stemmed cut flowers. welded to theplant support and adapted to be Other features of the invention willappear in wrapped around the stem of the flower to hold the followingspecification and claim. the same close to the shaft. If desired, oneend In the drawing: of the soft metal ties may be looped as at ID to 30Fig. l is a perspective sketch of the plant supprovide a more convenienttying member. port. The top ring I may be formed integrally with Fig. 2illustrates a modified form of the plant the shaft 6 or it may be formedseparately and support for use with large rooted plants and also weldedto the shaft. This top ring 7 may be ,5 illustrates a permanent tyingmeans to be used formed in several dilferent ways depending on on thesupport. the particular use to which it is to be put. It

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the corrugated ring of may :be a plain openring la as in r'g. 2, or it the support with a flower stem shown incrossmay be corrugated as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

section. The corrugated ring is especially adapted to a 40 Fig. 4illustrates a possible modification of the convenient fastening of aflower stem since, as 40 corrugations. shown in Fig. 3, the stem of theflower can be The support is preferably made from metal held within acorrugation by a ribbon or rubber wire the gauge and flexibility ofwhich would be hand H or other tying means. The top ring is determinedby the size of the flower or plant preferably open to allow the stem ofthe flower to to be supported. In the operation of the plant be insertedtherein. In case the flower to be sup- 45 support, when used, forinstance, on a long ported has considerable foliage the corrugatedstemmed flower such as a tulip, the flower and ring is the preferred onesince it will serve to the plant support will reenforce one anotherevenly distribute the foliage and prevent bunchmaking possible the useof a comparatively thin ing of the plant on one side of the ring. It iswire. desirable that the corrugations both in the shaft 50 As shownespecially in Fig. 1 the plant support of the support and in the ring,have a substantial consists generally of a foot member 5, a middepth andpitch approximating that shown in section or shaft 6, and a top ring 1.The foot the drawing. It will be understood that the member 5 may be ofVarying shapes, its purpose shape of the corrugations need not belimited being to prevent twisting of the support when to the simple wavytype shown in Figs. 1 to 3 55 but that they may be formed in othershapes, as for example, that shown in Fig. 4. The word corrugation asused to describe the plant supports in the specification and claimshould b understood to mean any type of regular la ral displacement fromthe axis of the wire 0 other material from which the plant support isade.

In Fig. 2 a modified form of the plant support is shown wherein theshaft 6 is provided with an offset portion 6a to be located at or abovethe ground level. This will allow the foot 5 of the support to beinserted into the ground a short distance radially from the root of theplant, and is especially intended for use with flowers such as tulips orlilies which are tuber-propagated plants. It will be seen that the topring I or la might be left off and other tying or clamping means 12,

shown in dotted lines, used to fasten the plant stem to the top of thesupport.

I claim:

individual plant support to be positioned upright in the ground, a footon said support of such shape as to prevent twisting of the support whenpositionedin the ground, a reinforced portion above said foot to preventflexing of the support below the ground level, a single universallyfiexible corrugated shaft portion above said reinforced portion, and asubstantially closed corrugated ring fixed at one side to the top ofsaid shaft, having its axis parallel to said shaft and havingcorrugations of substantial depth and pitch.

FRED W. SCHOUMAN.

